Ink Addiction
by VivaLaQueen
Summary: AU. Something about the tattoos on that pale skin astonished her, the dark pigment, the colourful ink, the artistic designs...it made her shiver. It especially wasn't working when he was staring at her with those piercing blue eyes as if he knew her deepest, darkest, secrets. It thrilled her.


**Ink Addiction**

_Part 1_

Tattoos had always been her fascination. Something about them continually made her wonder about the pain and dedication one required in order to get them. Then again, with all the people she had spoken to about the matter, she learned it was an addiction. Once you got one, you wanted more, and more, just as if it was a drug.

She never understood it.

Never really did until Cloud Strife showed her the beauty of it.

They were just friends. He never hung out with her group and she never with his, they were, as people said, complete opposites. She was always out and about while he was quiet and reserved. It was expected when he worked at a very well-known tattoo parlour and she owned her own clothing company that started to become popular around Midgar.

"Isn't it amazing, Tifa?"

Tifa awoke from her daze and looked at the tattoo that her friend Yuffie got. "It's beautiful."

And it really was. The fresh design was right behind Yuffie's shoulder blades. Cherry Blossoms bloomed on her skin, surrounding her Kanji name. The skin was still slightly red and raw from the recent inking, but only beauty and expert craftsmanship would remain when everything healed.

Cloud started to clean the new tattoo, wiping away the rest of the excess ink that remained.

"I'm showing this to my father; he's going to be so pissed!" Yuffie seemed excited by the notion. She managed to see the tattoo through a series of mirrors that were set up. A wide grin spit across her face. "I love it, Cloud! You made it better than what I was expecting."

The tattoo artist merely nodded his head, placing a cloth on the tattooed skin as he wrapped it with plastic.

"Do not take off the plastic until it stops bleeding. Do not expose the tattoo to the sun for a week and, remember, everyday put lotion on the tattoo so it'll keep its colour and it won't peel." Cloud took off his gloves and threw them in the trash. "I hope you didn't do this to only piss off your father because this tattoo is now stuck with you for life."

Tifa saw his blue eyes narrow in the direction of Yuffie, who was amazed by the tattoo, but she couldn't stop her own eyes from wondering to his tattooed body. The muscles that ripped when he flexed to put away his supplies or when he scratched the back of his head whenever he got a compliment praising his art. She noticed it, then again, who wouldn't? He wasn't bad looking, he was quite handsome with his unruly spiky blond hair.

"Tifa, I'm going to have to go now. Like I said, I need to show this to my father." Yuffie started to put on her shirt and paid Cloud the amount for the tattoo. "I'll call you when I have made reservations at Costa Del Sol."

"Just don't make your father angry, Yuffie."

"Are you kidding me?" The short-haired woman flung her head back and laughed, quickly wincing when the action pulled her raw skin in such a way that caused her pain. With a light groan, she pushed the matter aside and grinned wildly, making sure to keep a little more still than she normally would. "The old man will be blasting!"

"Yuffie..."

"Yes, Tifa?" The short-haired girl innocently smiled at her but really, Tifa knew that wasn't an innocent smile. That was one of Yuffie's signature smile when something was up.

"Just be careful."

Yuffie's smile grew wider, "Ain't I always?"

Tifa became serious. "No."

"You're just a prude! But really, I have to go now, I really need to show this to my father!" Yuffie carefully moved to the front door, trying not to move her shoulders as much. "I'll call you Tifa and Cloud, excellent job on the tattoo!"

Yuffie waved them a goodbye not before leaving with a wink.

It was now only Tifa and Cloud today, then again, it was a Sunday and the tattoo parlour was never open on that day.

"She's crazy," Cloud commented. He shook his head, focusing back on his clean up rather than the customer that just left.

"I know, she's a bit wild but thank you for opening the place for us." Tifa bowed her head towards Cloud, who did not notice the gesture. "It's going to be her twenty-first birthday and she really wished to have it-"

Cloud grunted, cutting the brunette off, "Don't worry about it. I understand when someone wants to get their first tattoo. It has to be done in that moment of sureness. I remember when I first got mine."

"Which is?"

Cloud smiled. He slowly straightened, eying Tifa, those eyes of his now holding a glint of amusement. "Do you really want to know?"

"Why? Is it bad?" Tifa was used to this. The only time Cloud was open when it was only the two of them, but that rarely happened. It was hard for them to be alone when she was always busy and he was always with his group of friends that gave her weird looks whenever she came to visit.

"Nothing like that." Cloud shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just different..."

Crossing her arms, Tifa narrowed her eyes, challenging Cloud. She was not going to back away from this opportunity. "Oh, try me."

Cloud smirked. "Alright."

Tifa watched as he took a hold of his black shirt and slowly slid it up to reveal a group of tattoos on his toned stomach and chest. They rippled over his skin, coming alive whenever he moved. So many of them, so very beautifully drawn and so magically enchanting.

She wanted to run her fingers over them and feel every detail that had been engraved into his skin.

"It was this one." Twisting his body to the side, Cloud revealed the tattoo in question. Starting from under his armpit and continuing down to his waist was an artistic design of his mother's name in black and white ink with butterflies and flowers coming to life around the letters. It was different. Though Tifa did not know much about tattoos, she could gather that much on her own. "I prefer black and white. It's harder to shade unlike colours...more of a challenge."

She grazed her fingers over the smooth skin. There was no difference in what she felt between the normal skin and the inked portions. The design was flawless. Yet her brow knotted together in confusion as she studied the fine work of art. "I just don't understand."

"What is it?"

"Just...marking your body like this."

"It's all in the person, Tifa." It was in these rare moments when he called her by her name that made her shiver a bit. "It's a story on the body that tells the history of a person, of their precious moments and of their darkest ones."

She rubbed it gently, starting from the top and then tracing down every intricate detail to the bottom. She saw goosebumps starting to pop on his skin at her touch. "You have goosebumps."

He just shrugged his shoulders, looking down at her who was still looking at the tattoo with a smile.

Her long hair slid in front of her face when she tilted her head to the side, studying the tattoo from a new angle. "You know, you sometimes make me want to get one. It's weird because I'm not easily influenced."

"You should get a tattoo, then," Cloud said matter-of-factly.

Tifa was a little stunned. She looked up and saw his serious expression staring straight back. The offer he gave was not a joke. She pursed her lips together, considering what response to give, but shook her head. "No, I'm afraid of regretting the decision and the pain that goes along with it."

"You won't, you just have to think what tattoo would be meaningful to you. The pain though...you just need to be strong."

She smiled. "Would you be my artist if I did get one?"

"If you want."

"I'll think about it, Cloud," she told him. She then shook her head nervously, unsure of what to do because tattoos were permanent; they stuck with you for life. "I know you wouldn't put something on me I would regret. But you know what, matching tattoos would be awesome."

"With Yuffie?" The tattoo artist blinked, staring at her in confusion.

"No! With you and me," Tifa explained, giggling lightly. "Imagine a little kitten or puppy?"

Cloud was quiet.

"I'm just joking, Cloud." She huffed and pushed him lightly. "I would never do that to you. I just wanted to see your reaction." The brunette shook her head and kept on exploring.

That tattoo artist though looked at her quietly with curious eyes.

More strands of hair fell when she leaned forward to get a closer look at his tattoos.

He was ready to push it aside, because someone like her didn't need to hide her face, especially with the way she looked. However, Tifa beat him to it, revealing those black-studded earrings that had been concealed by her hair before.

"You wore them," he stated, unable to take his eyes off of the small pieces of jewelry.

"Hmm?" Tifa blinked and looked back up at Cloud, her warm-brown eyes wide in confusion.

"The earrings that I gave you."

She laughed, "Of course."

"Who would have thought the preppy girl would wear them." Cloud could not help but smirk in amusement.

"Shush you." She frowned lightly and poked him, being careful of his tattoos. "Just because I own a bright-coloured clothing company doesn't mean I can't wear black. Besides," she smiled at him, "you gave it to me, so I have to wear them."

Cloud blinked and arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I mean, we are friends. At least, I hope to believe we are even though we live in opposite worlds." She bit her bottom lip and dipped her head in embarrassment, hoping to hide her cheeks that flushed lightly. "But knowing you thought about me means a lot to me." Tifa had to say it because it was true but Cloud was quiet and she felt she was too open for his liking. "I'm sorry if my openness-"

He shook his head. "No, no. You're right. I thought about you."

"But I'm sorry if me being open is a bother. I know you aren't very welcoming to these kind of things, it's just that I thought that I needed to say it."

"Tifa." Cloud looked down at her. "It's not a bother, don't worry about it."

The brunette nodded her head, smiling lightly in thanks.

"I'm quite surprised though."

Tifa looked up at him. "Why?"

"Don't know."

A small sigh escaped her. Though her openness apparently did not bother him, Cloud himself was always so tight-lipped, barely expanding on any of his thoughts or answers. "Well, I like the earrings, if I didn't, I wouldn't haven't worn them, simple as that." Tifa remarked, fingering the earrings self-consciously. "I have many things that people have given me, but I don't even wear half of them because...they really doesn't hold a value to me, you know?"

Cloud just shrugged his shoulders, looking at those petite fingers going about their exploration of the tattoos. Once she hit a star design, he squirmed.

She grinned, pulling her fingers away for a moment. "Ticklish?"

He nodded his head, stopping for a second when her fingers returned to roaming his chest. Her touch on his skin was not only ticklish, but it also excited him. He sighed and licked his lips. But that was not something he would ever admit to her.

"I like this one the best, 'live life to the fullest'." It was inked across his chest, under his collar bone. "Did it hurt?"

"Of course."

"...A lot?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes, especially when it started to get centered, that's where it started to hurt like hell."

"Ahh." Tifa studied it closely, inspecting the tattoo. "Where does it usually hurt when you get tattooed?"

Cloud looked at her for moment till he answered, "It depends on the person but most of the time it hurts when you get tattooed on a place that has no fat and is just bone."

She saw him raise his hand to take a hold of hers and slowly guided her fingers down to his stomach. His touch on her caused her to shiver even more than when he said her name.

"Now this one, the skull with the flowers, didn't hurt at all; I felt a sting but it wasn't bad like the one on my chest, then..." He slowly moved her touch to his side. "The one with the pin-up girl hurt a little more because of my ribcage."

Tifa watched his hand guide her to each tattoo that hurt more than the last. It was in that moment that she admired how much dedication someone had to have in order to get these permanent designs. Especially knowing you were about to bleed and hurt but that didn't matter to the tattooers. No, what mattered to them was telling their story. So she kept looking at each tattoo on his chest, the smooth skin adorned with his many stories.

She remembered once someone telling her that it was like a high, the agonizing sting of the needle poking your skin making you eyes close and moan for a bit. And it made her wonder, did Cloud get that feeling?

Her fingers twitched when he stopped on a certain design, gliding over it gently and cautiously. She was afraid to scratch it with her nails and mess it up, even though there was no way for her to do that when it was just her bare fingers and she wasn't able destroy the colour of the tattoo because it was permanent. Therefore, she let him keep on going, trusting her to see his every design.

And in a way...it made her feel happy.

It made her feel important.

"The one with the crown and sword means power and strength," Cloud explained, showing her the tattoo he was yawning about.

Tifa studied the inked design. Every detail was precise on the tattoo. "It's pretty."

Cloud quirked an eyebrow. "Pretty?"

Tifa eyed him before looking back down at the tattoo. "Yes, pretty. I know it sounds feminine but it is. I like the detail on it...the curve of the crown, the golden diamond and the sword's sharp handle...who drew it?"

It was quiet between them, and his fingers tightened a little over her hand.

"Someone important to me."

Tifa left it at that. She knew she had crossed into a new territory that wasn't supposed to be explored and so she held her tongue. He swiftly let go of her hand, leaving her cold compared to his radiating warmth.

She didn't mean to offend, therefore, the first thing that popped into her head was the question she had the whole time:

"You like the pain. Don't you?" Her hand was back to her side, missing the loss of his heat.

"...Anyone that usually gets tattoos starts to learn to like it, especially going hours nonstop." Cloud was curt in his response, no longer venturing to look her in the eyes.

This is why she needed to lighten the mood of the strained air. "Well, Cloud Strife, I might not be a doctor but it seems like you are a masochist. Liking pain isn't healthy."

"Really now?"

Tifa smiled. "Yes, and judging by the way you were tattooing Yuffie, slowly while she was squirming, I would say you are a sadist too. I mean, why would a tattoo take so long? Only one answer: you also like giving pain."

That was the first time she heard Cloud laugh genuinely. It wasn't a loud one, but it was a sincere laugh where she had to stop and watch him. His eyes crinkled at the side as he shook his head. His laughter was contagious, and she felt herself having to hold back the urge to laugh, having been caught up in his infectious change of mood.

"Then again, you could persuade anyone that you aren't a sadist."

Cloud, whose laughter had died down, looked at her with those piercing-blue eyes.

"Really?"

Tifa shook her head while smiling. "You're a cocky bastard, and you know it."

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing skeptically. "I thought the word was confident, not cocky."

"Alright." Tifa rolled her eyes as she smirked. "You're confident but you are too confident. If anything, you are overconfident, and nearing the border of cockiness."

"If I do good in what I do, why not?" Cloud reasoned, leaning onto his cushioned chair while placing his elbows on his knees.

They were now face-to-face and she could see every detail of his blond eyelashes.

"True to your word but you need to be humble."

"So me opening up the parlour for you on a Sunday isn't?"

"Touche."

"I wouldn't have done this for anyone else, Tifa. I hope you know that."

Tifa's smile faltered a little when he became serious.

"Thank you," she whispered.

But his stare became so intense that she became still for a moment.

His strong jawline was precise, his eyebrows were sharp and his neck was tense. But the way he sat there, in a perfect aloof structural pose, made her heart skip a beat. Especially when he didn't have his shirt on, showing those muscles and those tattooed arms. He wasn't the scrawny little boy that she used to know when they were young. No, he could now beat the living hell out of someone if anybody crossed the line. He was the fit, popular guy around Midgar that girls fell in love with when they turned to take a look.

He'd changed so much.

And it scared her.

She broke eye contact.

"But I have to go now. I need to go and meet with my father, he wants to have dinner." She stood up, taller than usual because of the heels she wore. "It was nice of you to do this. I mean it."

She slipped one-hundred dollars on his table.

"Thank you, really."

"Take it."

"What?"

"The money, I don't need it."

"But-"

"Tifa," he closed his eyes, "just take your money or I'll throw it away."

She was quiet but nodded her head, extending her hand for him to give it back.

When he did, he brushed his fingers against her palm, in a slow leisurely way that made her skin burn at his touch. She brought her hand back, faster than usual.

"Well, I'll see you around." She waved at him but he only nodded. "Bye?"

"Bye."

He didn't smile at her nor did he lift his head to give her a proper farewell because he was now busy cleaning his station.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Whatever you want."

She was disappointed that he couldn't even look at her.

"All right, then, I'm going to leave now."

"Okay."

With a defeated sigh, she shook her head and walked to the front door before she looked back...but he hadn't turned around. Tifa opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She stood there, not knowing what to say and decided the best thing to do was to walk out.

He was so confusing.

Cloud stopped what he was doing. He sat there for a while, staring at the designed wall in front of him as he furrowed his eyebrows.

He should've stopped trying a long time ago.

She was out of his league.

He sighed and shook his head.

Fuck it.

He needed a smoke.

He got up and went outside to lean against the wall with a cigarette in hand.

If only she wasn't so unreachable.


End file.
